How to Catch and Dispose of Ticks

From early spring through late fall, there is one pest that is not only annoying but potentially harmful. This small bloodsucker (literally) is called a tick. They come in all different sizes and can be dealt with in various ways that are effective and safe -- though if you are not careful and deliberate, many methods of disposal will fail. Here is a guide to the best way to detect a tick and make sure it won’t bother anyone again.

Things You'll Need

• Tweezers
• Rubbing alcohol
• Pint-size or smaller glass jar with screw-on cap

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Instructions

• 1

  If you have recently been in a grassy outdoor area with tall plants and trees -- which is the kind of environment in which a tick will quest -- then you should spend an hour or so trying to determine if there are any ticks on you. Beware of an itchy feeling that seems to move across your body. The moment you feel anything moving, notice where the feeling is located and look for a small black or brown object near that spot. If it turns out to be a tick, pinch it between your fingernails and hold it securely so that it cannot escape

• 2

  If you miss the tick when it is crawling on you -- which is very likely -- then watch out for any unusual redness or itching that results from the tick's bite. If you experience either of those symptoms, then immediately try to find the source. If it is a brown or black object, you will need to remove it immediately. To remove a tick that is already lodged, use tweezers, try burning it, or suffocate it to make it release its grip and remove its head from your skin.

• 3

  To remove the tick with tweezers, hold the tweezers firmly in your hand, or have someone else do it for you. Locate the tick and get the tweezers around its entire body. Pull the tick out at a moderate, steady pace, because it is very important that you remove the tick’s head. To burn the tick, have someone else, preferably an adult, use a cigarette lighter or match to heat up a long, thin metal object (the tweezers, a needle or even a nail). Then touch the rear of the tick for a few seconds so that the tick is burned. The tip of the match will also work for a moment after you blow out the flame. This method sometimes works, but not always. To suffocate the tick, soak a cotton pad with alcohol or perfume and place it over the tick for a moment. If the tick does not loosen its grip, you should try one of the above steps.

• 4

  Once you have removed the tick, take care of the bite area. Inspect the area from which the tick has just been removed and make sure that no parts of the tick's mouth remain (even if you have to break the skin to do so). Next, pour or dab hydrogen peroxide on the area to kill any germs. Monitor the area over the next two weeks for redness, fever or any development of a tick-related disease. If one of these symptoms appears, immediately seek medical attention.

• 5

  After you have removed the tick, it is time to deal with the tick’s body. One sure way to determine that a tick is dead is to cut its body into small pieces. However, this is both difficult and unpleasant. The easiest way to ensure proper disposal is to drown the tick in a jar of rubbing alcohol. This will serve three useful purposes: First, it will definitely kill the tick. Second, no tick can escape from a closed jar of alcohol. Last, if a problem does develop, you can carry the jar to a laboratory, where the ticks inside can be analyzed for to determine presence of any disease-causing infections.